Top pop culture Hallowe’en costumes

Chris Page, Digital First Team

Hallowe’en costumes are increasingly being influenced by TV shows and films.

So geeks at MBNA have done the maths (not singular math ... we're in South Yorkshire not Carolina!) and worked out what will be most popular pop culture Hallowe’en costumes based on Google searches, illustrated here by 15 such DIY outfits.

Surprisingly, American superhero film Suicide Squad wins costume battle ahead of Alice in Wonderland and Game of Thrones. Reality star Kim Kardashian comes in 6th place while appropriately named Walking Dead sneaks in at just 10th place.

Full top ten are:

1. Suicide Squad

The nation’s top costume choices this year are The Joker and new favourite, Harley Quinn. The dastardly pair even managed to push Batman himself way down the list of DC characters appearing in 2016.

2. Alice in Wonderland

Alice and Thrones outfits also trending

Missing the top spot by a country mile but still curiously popular, Alice, of Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass fame, is the second most popular Halloween costume from pop culture. There’s no doubt they’ve been given a helping hand with the release of Through the Looking Glass earlier this year.

3. Game of Thrones

After another season of grueling deaths and Machiavellian scheming, Game of Thrones clinches the number 3 spot. Daenerys Targaryen costumes were most popular, while Jon Snow achieved second place. Despite such a huge cast most characters appear in the data, even some of the dead ones, such as Joffrey and the unlamented Ramsay Bolton.

4. Minions
Despicable Me 3 is set to hit screens next summer – and, with the spin-off Minions last year, these yellow, pill-shaped, bumbling servants of evil are set to be another favourite among the Disney-inspired Halloween crowd this year.

5. Star Wars

While collectively Star Wars costumes weren’t as popular as Game of Thrones, a smaller, central cast meant that individual characters fared better. Aside from Daenerys and Jon, most Star Wars characters received more searches than the line-up in Game of Thrones. Darth Vader remains most popular, although newcomer Kylo Ren was second, followed by Chewbacca. Leia, Rey, Han Solo and Boba Fett remain well-liked while the leading men, Luke Skywalker and Finn, brought up the rear.

6. Kim Kardashian

Many may question her enduring popularity but Kim Kardashian certainly has costume appeal. And the search volumes don’t lie - it’s possible we may see more Kim this autumn evening than we’ve ever seen before.

7. Pokémon

While the revelation in virtual reality gaming that was Pokémon Go has already begun its decline, its impact on pop culture – for better or worse - makes it a Halloween costume favourite for 2016. Pikachu was individually most popular followed by Ash and Pokémon Trainer. Most other Pokémon, including Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Jigglypuff and Dragonite get a look-in somewhere in the data.

8. Maleficent

The revival of Sleeping Beauty’s Maleficent and the portrayal of her fall from grace may have appeared in cinemas two years ago now, but the film’s popularity means the magnificent Maleficent still casts her spell over Halloween revellers.

9. Harry Potter

If the eight-part legacy of Harry Potter wasn’t enough to put ‘Harry’ costumes in the top ten, then the release of the series’ sequel play and script, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, just sealed the deal. Selling more than 4 million copies in the UK, US and Canada in the first week it was released, it’s unsurprising that a plethora of Potters are due to take to the streets this October.

10. The Walking Dead

Airing just in time for Halloween, season 7 of The Walking Dead will hit UK screens on Monday 24 October. Unlike many pop culture contributions this Halloween, Walking Dead fans might actually muster a genuine shriek of fear from the public, as armies of the undead and wounded survivors take to the streets.

Those that didn’t quite make the list include Breaking Bad and Ghostbusters, but the experts have made one “Wild card” prediction: 1980’s-set sci-fi drama Stranger Things.